Sheet gripper



Patented Nov. ie, ieee.

I.sjraiasi ears `marron CLARK wHrmE', o r new venian. Y.; Meara Louise,

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teenies wrrrrnY EXECUTRIX or si-Innfr snrrrnn. l

Application led. November 12, 1921. Serial No. 514,684;

This invention relates to sheet grippers for printing presses, beingintended more par-v ticularly for use on presses of the type inr ployedwith advantage in connection with other parts or mechanismsY of printingpresses or other machines. v

The invention has fora general object t provide `an improved type ofsheet gipper.

More specificallyv speaking, theinvention has for an object to providesheet ,grippers of simple construction in which the sheet is grippedthrough `toggle means which act also to draw back the movable finger ina longitudinal direction and leave the tip of the fixed fingerprojecting to receive the sheet.

A `further object of the invention is toprovide an improved means forsecuring an operating arm, which may form part of the gripper or beapplied to other purposes to its operating shaft.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and tothe appended claims in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly pointedout.

Fig. 1 of the drawings isa side elevation of a sheet gripper constructedaccording to the invention, the supporting bar and operating shaft beingshown in transverse section.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing a modified means for fastening thegripper on the operating shaft.

' In the drawings the reference nume-ral 10 indicates a bar which, inthe application ofk the invention to presses of the type above referredto, extends between and is rigidly fixed at its ends to a pair ofparallel rotary rings, commonly called carrier rings, and which advancethe sheet to the printing means. The reference numeral 11 indicates rcarica,jA

a 1"ock'shaft bywhichthe movable finger of the gripper is operated, thisshaft being suita well known manner by a cam (not, shown).

Fixed to the underside of bar is a transF versely projecting rigidfinger 12, between which and the movable finger operated by shaft 11,lthe sheet is gripped. While I have designated the fixed finger as beingsecured to thev under side of the bar, this being the position shown inthe drawings, and the positions of the other parts are referred to inlike manner, the bar is larranged on the carrier rings torhavve thefinger pro- ]ecting in anapprommately tangential d1;- rection. rfheVfinger 12 progectsrunder the shaft `11- which V'is located at one sideof the bar. 10. ,F or operatingjthe movable finger I provide a pair ofrtoggle arms oneof which comprises asho'rt forked projection 16, from ahub 15 mounted on the shaft 11 directly above the finger.v thereto,vr asindicated at 17, the other toggle arin18, which latter carries themovable finger of the gripper which is here shown in F ig. 1 in theformof a fiat resilient strip which is secured to the underside of theVlatter arm and projects therefrom as shown to engage the end of the.linger 12. rIhe end portion of the finger 12 is preferably beveled off`on'its top face as shown at 12', this beveled portion being slightlyVconcaved in its outer half as shown, while the finger 20 preferably hasa complementary curvature at its outer end. p

To obtain the desired movement of the finger 20 the outer end of the arm18'is pivotally connected as at 21 to the upper' ends of a pair of rigidlinks 22 whose op: posite ends are pivotally connected to thefixedfinger as at 23, these links causing the thrust of the toggle armsto be transferred into a ydownward pressurerofthe finger 20 on the fixedfinger v12. The gripper is closed by rocking shaft 11 in the directionindi- 'cated by the arrow, moving the toggle arms 16, 18 from thebuckled position shown in broken lines to the nearly dead centeredposition shown in full lines. As will be apparent the arm 18 thrustsyoutwardly on the links 22 which extend upwardly an-d outwardly at anacute angle to the fixed .finger 12 when the gripper is closed, and inconse-V Vably journaled at opposite ends inthe`carV Her rll's and bemgadapted tobe rocked in This arm 16 Vhas pivoted i quence the outwardthrust of the arm 18 y is transferred by the links 22 to a downwardthrust toward the fixed linger, the leverage secured by the toggle beingthus applied 'to the finger 20 to clamp it against the finger 12, thepath of the movable finger 20 being indicated by the broken line 35.

As will be apparent also, the working of shaft 11 in a direction toyopen the gripper causes the arm 18 and finger 20 to have a longitudinalretracting movement with relation to the fixed linger 12, withdrawingthe tip of'finger 20 sufciently to clear the edge of theY sheet which isengaged by the end of the fixed finger 12. As the gripper opens, theouter end of arm 18 swings upwardly and the inner end swings downwardlyimparting a tilting movement to finger 2O which liftsit off the fixedfinger 12.

To enable the closing pressure of the gripper to be adjusted as desiredl have devised a means for securing the arm 16 on the shaft 11 wherebyslight angular adjustments may be readily obtained. As shown in F ig. 1the shaft 11 is formed to present a lflattened surface 25, which may beobtainedV by grooving the shaft transversely or flattening the same onone side. throughout any desired portion of its length. In theapplication of the invention as in Fig. 1 the shaft is preferablygrooved so as to localize the arm 16 Vabove the linger 12. rThisflattened surface is engaged at opposite sides by the ends of a pair ofabutment screws 26 which are threaded through the hub 15,

A being approximately vertical to the surface 25. rhese screws 26 act tohold the hub 15 and integral toggle arm 16 against rotation on the shaft11, and it will be apparent that by loosening one screw and tighteningthe other the arm can be given a limited angular adjustment on theshaft.

In F ig. 3 ofthe drawings l have shown a modified means for adjustablysecuring the toggle arm 16 on the shaft 11. In this construction a screw30 bears against one side'of the surface 25 and may be provi-ded with alock-nut 31.

Y surface 25 is engaged by one end of a coiled The other side of the- Yshown by the arrow to close the gripper it acts on hub 15 through spring32, providing resilient pressure means acting to close the movablefinger, the pressure being readily adjusted by tightening or looseningscrew 34. Y

It is to be understood that I do'not limit myself to any particularapplication of the means here shown for securing the arm to shaft 11.The same may be applied to other types of grippers, orto other arms orkcams, the term arm, as applied to this feature in the claims being used`in a broad sense to include any part or element.

Having thus -described my invention what 1 claim as new and desire tosecure by Letf ters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. A sheet gripper comprising a pair of fingers, one thereof beingresilient with re spect to the other, a pair of toggle arms, one of saidarms carrying one of said flngers, and a link connecting said ngerstogether.

2. ln a sheet gripper, a fixed linger, a movable finger, a linkpivotally connecting said fingers together, and a shaft connectionarranged to eect an adjustable gripping engagement between said fingersand to move one of said fingers both toward and away from andlongitudinally of the opposite finger.

3. A sheet grippercomprising a pair of fingers, a link pivotallyconnecting said iingers together, and a rock-shaft connection pivoted toone of said fingers and operating through said link to effect a gripping,move` ment between' said fingers,v the said gripping movement extendingin a line substantially perpendicular to the clampingy faces of saidfingers.

4. In a sheet gripper including a carrier-V bar, a finger fixed to saidcarrier-bar, a rock-shaft movable with said carrier-bar and extendingtransversely of said fixed finger, a toggle arm fixed to saidrock-shaft, a toggle member pivoted to said toggle arm and having afinger movable therewith, and a link pivotally connecting the togglemember and fixed linger together.

Signed at New York, in lthe county of New York and State of New Yorkthis 9th day of November, A. D. 1921.

BRUCEv CLARK WHITE

